A Czechoslovakian-made jet has made history when it became the first jet to fly on 100 percent biodiesel. The L-29 military aircraft flew over the high desert near Reno, Nevada piloted by C. This press release from Green Flight International says it was a joint project with Biodiesel Solutions… a maker of community-scale biodiesel equipment: The experimental test flights were …
Americans Buying Record Numbers of Alternative Fuel Autos
Americans bought nearly half a million alternative fuel automobiles (AFAs) during the second quarter of 2007… a record and good news for the alternative fuel industry and the environment. The Missouri Soybean Association lists the story in its “Bean Briefs” and says the numbers from R.L. Polk & Company are a 27 percent increase from a year ago: Sales of …
Volkswagon Sponsoring Dieselution Revolution
An interactive Volkswagon trailer has hit the road, making its way across the country in a four-month campaign to highlight current environmental issues. The Volkswagon Dieselution Tour is using interactive exhibits to display advances in diesel engine technology, design and performance. Volkswagen of America, Inc. is launching the Dieselution Tour, a mobile marketing exhibit, to educate the media and the …
Higher Petroleum Prices Helping Ag Commodity Prices
High crude oil prices are prompting more soyoil to be bought… with the idea that soyoil would be turned into an alternative to all that foreign oil: domestically made biodiesel. This Dow Jones Newswires story posted on the Missouri Ruralist web site breaks down the rise and what caused it: November soybeans settled 10 1/4 cents higher at $9.87 and …
Biofuels Helping Fuel Cargill’s Profits
Ethanol and biodiesel are making “modest” contributions to ag products giant Cargill’s profits… according to numbers released by the U.S.’s largest agricultural company. This story in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says the company reports fiscal first-quarter profit rose 83 percent as more soybeans and corn were processed and the company was able to successfully hedge higher grain costs: Cargill benefited from …
Canada Building First Canola Biodiesel Plant
Ground has broken on a 50-million-gallon-a-year canola biodiesel refinery northeast of Edmonton, Alberta… the first large-scale canola biodiesel plant in Canada. This story on Canadian Press says the Canadian Bioenergy refinery will be built next door to a canola crushing facility… on the province’s refining and pipeline hub: “We are building a state-of-the-art facility capable of producing a large quantity …
U.S. Consumers Support Renewable Fuels
Ask the American public about renewable fuels and odds are you’ll get two thumbs up. At least, that’s what a poll conducted by Harris Interactive found. A new poll conducted by Harris Interactive(R) shows overwhelming American support for expanding renewable fuel options with nine in 10 U.S. adults (88 percent) agreeing the U.S. should pursue renewable energy sources. The poll, …
Biofuel to Hit the Skies
From the coverage we’ve provided on energy.agwired.com so far, I think it’s safe to say biofuels are continually gaining traction with ground transportation and machinery. So, it seems quite natural that air travel would be the next frontier for biofuels. Yahoo!News reports that Virgin Group CEO, Richard Branson plans to fuel one of his jets with biofuels in 2008. Here’s …
Texas Cuts Biofules Incentives
Surprise, surprise… petroleum giant Texas has cut some of the state’s incentives to biofuels makers. The Dallas Morning News reports that lawmakers in the state legislature removed funding for biodiesel and ethanol because some complained that they were competing with the state’s petroleum industry. But some lawmakers see the move as short sighted: Rep. David Swinford, a Republican lawmaker from …
Canola Biodiesel Plant Opens in North Dakota
The U.S.’s first wholly-owned canola biodiesel plant has opened near Velva, North Dakota. The ADM plant is right next to ADM’s crushing facility and will produce 85 million gallons of biodiesel when it’s fully operational. This article from the Minot (ND) Daily News says the grand opening attracted company officials, local, state, and federal officials: “This is an exciting time …